


Keeping Warm

by katmarajade



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Gen, Huddling For Warmth, away mission
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-16
Updated: 2014-03-16
Packaged: 2018-01-16 00:01:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1324177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katmarajade/pseuds/katmarajade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Bones, Gaila, and Sulu having away mission shenanigans on a Hoth-like planet. After a fall, Gaila suffers from hypothermia. We all know the best way to fix <i>that</i>. Dr McCoy to the rescue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Keeping Warm

An ion storm in the upper atmosphere left the away team stranded again. Why was it that they were never trapped on a nice tropical planet, one that was safe and full of easily accessible food and shelter? No, the planet was dangerous, covered in ice, and there was no discernible source of food _or_ shelter within tricorder scanning distance.

"Damnit, man. I'm sick of these missions. Why does he always insist we need a doctor on these sorts of excursions anyway?"

Instantly, Bones regretted saying it. A sudden shriek came from several feet in front of him and Gaila disappeared under a giant pile of icy snow.

"Get her out of there!" he shouted. Sulu, the only other member of the team, was already sliding back down the hill they'd been attempting to scale trying to reach the place where Gaila had fallen. Both Bones and Sulu dug frantically. Luckily, Gaila hadn't fallen too far and they brushed the ice off her face in less than ninety seconds.

She gasped, sucking air into her lungs, and Bones started scanning her with his tricorder.

"Get me out of here first, Doctor! It's freezing down here!"

Sulu had managed to free one of her arms by that point. She looked at the group wryly and said.

"You know, this would go a hell of a lot faster if you used a phaser to melt this stuff off me."

Sulu immediately grabbed his phaser, set it on the lowest setting, and swept it over the area. It worked like a charm and melted the ice. Unfortunately, it melted too much of the ice and they were only just able to help Gaila scramble out of the hole before it collapsed even further.

"This place isn't very hospitable," Gaila muttered as Bones continued to scan her for injuries.

"It's really not. I think we need to forget this hill and just try to find shelter for the night. The sun is already getting low in the sky and I don't know how much longer we'll have light," Sulu observed.

Bones tried scanning for a good area to set up camp and perhaps the atmospheric disturbance was dissipating or the collapse of the snow had cleared the air, but he finally got a reading.

"That way, 800 meters. There's a cave!"

Without another word, the three of them began trudging through the snow towards their goal, their Starfleet issued boots heavy with chunks of ice. The cave was dank and freezing but it offered protection from the wind.

Sulu immediately began unpacking the backpack he'd been wearing. He must have been a boy scout before Star Fleet, because he was far more prepared than Bones was. As he set about starting a fire with a block of compressed, long-burning material that was only about as big as his fist, Gaila finally allowed Bones to take a more detailed reading.

"You're in the beginning stages of hypothermia. We've got to get you warm. Sulu, you don't happen to have any blankets or spare clothes in that magical sack of yours."

Sulu blew on the tiny flame one more time, which began to crackle and grow, and searched through the small bag. He pulled out a thin, shiny sheet and tossed it to Bones.

"Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas, Doctor."

"Perfect," Bones muttered, shaking out the fabric and zipping it together. It was an ultra thin sleep sack that absorbed ambient heat outside the material and dispersed it inside. Standard issue in Star Fleet emergency kits.

"All right, Gaila. Take off those wet clothes and climb in. We've got to get you warm."

"You know, Doctor. The most effective remedy for hypothermia is body heat. You should really strip down and join her in there. It's just good medicine." Bones spun around to tell off Sulu for making jokes, but Sulu's expression was serious and concerned, even if he was trying to maintain a jocular tone.

Gaila, never fussed about nakedness, had already pulled off her clothes and was shivering as she pulled the thin material over her body.

"He's got a point. Are you comfortable with that, Gaila?" Bones asked.

Teeth chattering, she shot him a weak smile. "The more the merrier."

Sulu gave him an innocent smile and turned his back, busying himself hanging up Gaila's soaked uniform pieces and shaking out their boots. Growling slightly and muttering under his breath, Bones methodically shed his own uniform and slid in beside her, pulling her chilled body as close to him as possible and lining up their limbs so he was offering the most heat possible. For the first minutes, it felt as if they were just making each other even colder, but slowly their body heat and the warm glow of the fire began to work.

Sulu used snow to reconstitute some freeze dried soup and an hour later they were somewhat warm and had enough food to last them the night, even if not enough to really satisfy them. Once Gaila was warm and Bones had verified she had no other complications, he let her sleep. Cold was even harder on an Orion body than a human one. Sulu curled up next to them and covered up with Bones' parka. Finally, long distracted by the soft green skin pressing against him, sticky and almost warm now, he, too, fell asleep.

The following morning before any of them were awake the transport beams came. Blinking groggily, the three away team members stared around the transporter room in confusion. Scotty's booming laugh woke Bones up enough to realize that he and Gaila were both still very, very naked.

"Welcome back, Bones," Kirk said with a laugh. He slapped Sulu on the back and tried not to snicker at the sight of two of his crew standing naked on a transporter pad.

"Damnit, Jim. Don't just stand there. Have a little decency and replicate us a couple of blankets for God's sake!"

Gaila, obviously feeling better, seemed unconcerned about her nudity. She walked across the room and replicated the blankets herself.

"Here you go, Doctor. Thanks for the help. If you ever need me to return the favor, don't hesitate to let me know. Captain, I'll file my report later if you don't mind."

Kirk waved his hand, and Bones watched, mouth hanging open in shock, as she sauntered out of the room.


End file.
